Hillary Clinton, then U.S. first lady, meets with Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan in 1995.

In a campaign that had been drifting toward economic issues, the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and the turmoil in Pakistan could refocus voters on who is best qualified to deal with crises in other parts of the world.

"My theme has been throughout this campaign that I am the one with experience, the knowledge and the judgment. So, perhaps it may serve to enhance those credentials," said Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.

Locked inside a tough three-way battle for the Democratic nomination in Iowa, Sen. Hillary Clinton has spent a year calling herself the most experienced, most qualified candidate in the field.

Sen. Barack Obama's camp, which has spent a year pushing back on criticisms that he lacks experience, insisted they welcome the renewed talks on foreign policy and called attention to Clinton's "yes" vote on the Iraq war.

"She was a strong supporter of the war in Iraq which we would submit is one of the reasons why we were diverted from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Al Qaeda, who may have been players in this event today. So that's a judgment she'll have to defend," said Obama adviser David Axelrod.

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The Clinton campaign said the suggestion that her vote caused unrest in Pakistan is baseless, adding that this is a time to focus on the people of Pakistan and not politics.

When asked about Axelrod's remarks late Thursday, Obama told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that, "This is one of those situations where Washington is putting a spin on it. ... He in no way was suggesting Hillary Clinton was somehow directly to blame for this situation." The Illinois senator added that "it's important for us to not look at this in terms of short-term political points scoring." Watch the showdown on foreign policy »

But the candidates all reacted, in part because of the gravity of the event, in part because they are just days away from the January 3 Iowa caucuses. Conversation quickly moved from condolences to campaign issues.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani talked terrorism, connecting the attack in Pakistan to the September 11, 2001, attacks.

"America feels a connection because of the attacks that took place here," he said.

"Ladies and gentleman, the stakes are incredibly high. They are incredibly high. If Pakistan falls into complete turmoil, martial law is declared again, you end up with a state that is being run by a dictator; ladies and gentleman that does not bode well for Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, India," he said.

The shift in focus might not play out well for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whose foreign policy credentials have been under a microscope since he admitted to journalists that he was unaware of a major report on Iran's nuclear weapons program. He appeared to make another minor gaffe Thursday when he seemed to suggest incorrectly that Pakistan was currently under martial law.

Later Thursday, Huckabee told CNN that "it was not that I was unaware it was suspended, two weeks ago, lifted. ...The point was, would it be reinstated, would it be placed back in? All of the aspects of martial law have not been completely lifted even now. There's still a heavy hand Musharraf has used."

If voters see a high-stakes drama in Pakistan, that could resonate at the polls. Most of the candidates said they didn't want to turn the assassination into a talking point, but it is just a week before the Iowa caucuses, and world events not only change the conversation -- they can change a campaign.E-mail to a friend